Chasing Amy turned out to be one of those movies I needed to re-watch and re-watch again before discovering I really liked it.
At first I was unimpressed by what many people referred to as Kevin's Smith best film. I still don't consider it his best film (that'd be Clerks.) but I appreciate it more.
The main male characters Holden and Banky (Ben Affleck and Jason Lee) are the usual pair of buddies that Smith frequently uses in his movies. The straight man (Affleck) and the "whacky" guy (Lee). Thankfully, this time both characters were very interesting and had pretty good chemistry, as opposed to Mallrats in which Jason Lee did pretty much all the work while Jeremy London didn't help.
Joey Lauren Adams was great. I haven't seen her in much else but she really fit the role of Alyssa Jones, and the chemistry between her and Affleck worked decently.
Dwight Ewell was also great as Hooper. Very funny and well-written for such a small role.
The writing is good. Smith's dialogue is as good as usual. Very funny in moments, and while I think the dramatic parts weren't a strong point, it's far from bad.
Acting-wise, Lee, Adams and Ewell are perfect in their roles. Affleck, well, he was believable enough but he's definitely the weakest link. Especially in scenes with just him and Jason Lee, you can tell that Lee is submerged in the character while Affleck seems to be trying hard to sound dramatic. Still, it's not a big complaint and Affleck's acting doesn't "ruin the movie" or anything like that. It helps that his character is sympathetic, though.
Chasing Amy is my third favorite Kevin Smith movie (behind Clerks and the sequel) and a very good movie overall. Might take a few viewings before finally "getting it" but I think it's worth it.
At first I was unimpressed by what many people referred to as Kevin's Smith best film. I still don't consider it his best film (that'd be Clerks.) but I appreciate it more.
The main male characters Holden and Banky (Ben Affleck and Jason Lee) are the usual pair of buddies that Smith frequently uses in his movies. The straight man (Affleck) and the "whacky" guy (Lee). Thankfully, this time both characters were very interesting and had pretty good chemistry, as opposed to Mallrats in which Jason Lee did pretty much all the work while Jeremy London didn't help.
Joey Lauren Adams was great. I haven't seen her in much else but she really fit the role of Alyssa Jones, and the chemistry between her and Affleck worked decently.
Dwight Ewell was also great as Hooper. Very funny and well-written for such a small role.
The writing is good. Smith's dialogue is as good as usual. Very funny in moments, and while I think the dramatic parts weren't a strong point, it's far from bad.
Acting-wise, Lee, Adams and Ewell are perfect in their roles. Affleck, well, he was believable enough but he's definitely the weakest link. Especially in scenes with just him and Jason Lee, you can tell that Lee is submerged in the character while Affleck seems to be trying hard to sound dramatic. Still, it's not a big complaint and Affleck's acting doesn't "ruin the movie" or anything like that. It helps that his character is sympathetic, though.
Chasing Amy is my third favorite Kevin Smith movie (behind Clerks and the sequel) and a very good movie overall. Might take a few viewings before finally "getting it" but I think it's worth it.